The Bible speaks of our bodies as being our earthly houses. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:1, “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” Jesus' parable teaches in Matthew12:43, 44, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out.”

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I am sure that you have heard the question, “Do demons possess people today like they did in the first century?” How about, “Do we have any say so today about evil spirits residing in us?”

According to our previous articles on “demon possession”, we noted that the synoptic gospels describe both demon possession and common diseases as affecting people in a similar way. Some today-journalists even say that is because they were the same and that Jesus and the multitude were just reflecting the Babylonian superstitions of that day and time. However, faith in the Bible’s INSPIRATION denies that Jesus was “playing like” He was talking to spirits and commanding them to depart from victims (2 Timothy 3:16,17). If only in that respect, they were different from common diseases. That is, Jesus only spoke directly to demon entities in a body possession.

DOES DEMON POSSESSION EXIST TODAY? If so, then in a worst scenario, for example, in the case of the “demon possessed” boy, Jesus said that the remedy would have to be “by fasting and prayer” (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29). We are not granted miraculous powers like the apostles were, but we can fast, and we can pray over difficult situations. But this does not answer our question.

THE PROPHECY OF ZECHARIAH 13:1 & 2 and CESSATION OF UNCLEAN SPIRITS. The only time unclean spirits (the demons that possessed ⁱ) are mentioned in the Old Testament is when they are predicted to cease. The first verse of the prediction of the text, “In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (13:1).

When was the fountain for sin and uncleanness to be opened? Was this not fulfilled when the Messiah, Jesus, arrived in the first century and died on the cross? “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). “That he might sanctify and cleanse it [the church] with the washing of water by the word” (Ephesians :26). Hence, the church sings, “There’s a fountain free, tis for you and me.”ⁱⁱ This is from the Zechariah prophecy.

What else would happen with Jesus’ arrival? The next verse (verse 2): “And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also, I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.”

THE EXPRESSION “come to pass in that DAY” (yom, in Hebrew and hemera, in Greek) can be an expression used for a special future. The word " day" is Biblically used for 12-hour daytime, a 24-hour period, a general period of undefined length, an appointed time, etc. Strong defines it as either a literal or a figurative space of time. Vine’s definition for its prophetic use is as a metonomy = “when”, “at the time when” and “of the future”, compare with Genesis 2:17 (“in that day you shall die”).

EVENTS PREDICTED TO OCCUR IN A SPECIAL FUTURE DATE. 1. Jesus opens a fountain for sin and uncleanness. 2. The idol names of the Old Testament (Baal, Asherah, Hamman, Teraphim, etc.) will be cut off out of the land. 3. Prophets (hence, prophecy) would pass out of the land. 4. At that same time the “unclean spirit” (demon possession) will pass out of the land. Hence, when the Holy Spirit’s prophets ended (finished proclaiming and writing the Bible’s prophesies) then the demon-possession would cease.

UNCLEAN SPIRIT PASSES. Therefore, if we take the prophecy of Zechariah 13:2 to mean that Biblical demon-possession (unclean spirits) ceased along with the fulfilment of the Holy Spirit prophecies of 1 Corinthians 13:9, 10, then demon possession as popularly visualized does not exist today. “For our knowledge is only in part, and the prophet's word gives only a part of what is true: But when that which is complete is come, then that which is in part will be no longer necessary” (BBE). When prophetic revelation was “completed” (the “perfect” New Testament) the prophets ceased. After the first century there are no inspired writings (2 Timothy 3:16,17). The Canon is complete. Not only does the New Testament revelation curtain close but according to the prediction in Zechariah the “unclean spirit” possession had to end.

LIST OF GRACE GIFTS IN CORINTH. Some have summarily dismissed the continuation of demon possession because there is no longer a specific mention of the miraculous power to cast out demons (as given in Mark 16:17) listed among the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11.

WRITINGS OF THE “CHURCH FATHERS.” I investigated some quotes from the early post-first century writings by such as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, and Lactantius. But their expressions of demon-possession and exorcism obviously are referencing the spiritual enticements of the Devil with mankind and are not the possession described in the NT. For example, Justin Martyr: “For we do continually beseech God by Jesus Christ to preserve us from the demons which are hostile to the worship of God, and whom we of old time served, in order that, after our conversion by Him to God, we may be blameless.” Also, Tertullian via Ad Scapula, 2: “But we not only reject those wicked spirits: we overcome them; we daily hold them up to contempt; we exorcise them from their victims, as multitudes can testify.” Notice that Tertullian uses the expression “exorcise” for rejecting spirits, overcoming them, holding them up to contempt. Cyprian even is quoted as asserting that water baptism is the power that “beats the devil own and sets one free.”ⁱⁱⁱ According to Origen, this concept of the Christians power over the demons developed into a theology of the general “freedom of a Christian.”^iv The power of unclean spirits possessing the body housing does not exist after the first century.

POWER OF THE PRINCE OF DEMONS (Matthew12:24) STILL EXISTS. Peter declares, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11, AFV). The methods [wiles] of the Demon Prince are limited according to this text of Ephesians but like a lion he is definitely dangerous to us. He is the spirit that works in “the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2) and is anxious to add us to his conquests. Since the cessation of possession, his would be the “demon-influencing spirit” described in the epistle of Ephesians and Peter. Of course, common diseases and earthly tragedies are another subject that has always occurred since Adam and Eve was cast out of the Garden because of the world exists under the curse of sin as explained in the book of Job and Genesis 3:17.

application.

The indication is that “demon possessions” were exclusive to the New Testament period and mostly during Jesus and His apostles’ miraculous ministry. It was evidence of who Jesus is. Although John never speaks directly of demon possession, he does quote Jesus in John 9:3 concerning the man born blind: “Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” John 20:21 concludes that many things Jesus did but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ. Some things occurred during Jesus’ ministry for a public witness of His supernatural authority. This is consistent with the prediction of Zechariah 13.

-- Gaylon West

Checked by: Janie R. Ward; Mary L. West